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Praise for reviving local detox services

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
02/20/2013 06:36:11 AM EST

For more than two years, Merrimack Valley families dealing with relatives suffering from alcohol- or substance-abuse problems had few local options for medical care. It's hard to believe, but since December 2010, when the Lowell Community Health Center was forced to close its drug-detox center, there wasn't even a single bed assigned for those in need of help.

Area patients were forced to go to detox centers in Boston, Danvers and Worcester, and lucky if they could find a bed for comprehensive inpatient programs.

State Rep. Tom Golden, D-Lowell, knew the area was underserved. Phone calls from constituents pleading for help for loved ones were a constant reminder that something needed to be done. The problems of opiate abuse were spreading and growing worse.

Golden never stopped working for a government solution, and soon he will see a public-private venture launched at Tewksbury State Hospital to restore a detox center and services. Lahey Health Behavorial Services of Peabody plans to open the 32-bed facility later this month, as soon as its $250,000 renovation work is completed. It is partly because state Department of Public Health awarded LHBS a three-year, $9 million contract to revive the program.

According to Kevin P. Norton, LHBS president and CEO, the detox center will bring 48 new jobs to the area, including case managers, nurses and recovery specialists. Dr. Shorta Yuasa, who collaborated with Dr.

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Wayne Pasanen for 14 years at Lowell General Hospital, will serve as medical director.

"This is a 24/7 operation and our goal is to evaluate patients and get them started on a program that will lead to recovery," Norton said.

The voluntary inpatient program runs from five to seven days. It is the first step of four phases of treatment. Building family engagement and community support are also part of the process.

The client profile has changed dramatically through the years, Norton said. In the 1950s, the average age of those seeking treatment for alcohol-related issues was 42 years old and up. The scourge of drugs, mainly opiate abuse, has spread to all age levels and is at epidemic proportions. "The average age of our clients is much younger now," said Norton, adding that the 15-26 age grouping is probably the largest client base.

Norton said the detox center's revival wouldn't have happened without Golden's persistence.

This is a good example of government functioning the way it should. Golden deserves credit for building a strong case for the detox center's need and getting state public-health officials to listen and act. Also lending key support to the effort were state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, Reps. Kevin Murphy and David Nangle, all of Lowell, and Jim Miceli of Wilmington.

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